Retractable tool handle



June 23, 1953 A. F. ALEXANDER RETRACTABLE TOOL HANDLE Filed Feb. 24, 1950 zzvmvroza. AM /we A'Ammwm BY AIrORNJE-VS Patented June 23, 1953 UNITED STATES I ATENT ornce RETRACTABLE TOOL HANDLE Arthur F. Alexander, Cleveland, Ohio Application February 24, 1950, Serial No. 146,033

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in double endedscrew drivers. a bar provided at its ends with screw driver blades of different sizes or types and a handle which is movable along the bar and may be secured to it at either end of the latter.

One of the objects'of the invention is the provision of a screwdriver having two different blades either one of which may be utilized at a moments notice. v I

Another object is the provision of a tool of this character which shall have high inherent strength. 7

Other objects. and advantages will appear as I proceed with the description of that embodiment of the invention which, for the purposes of the present application, I have illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which Fig. 1 is a plan view of the tool with the handle at one end thereof.

Fig. 2 is an elevational view of the same with the handle at the opposite end of the tool.

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the bar with its ends finished as screw driver blades and with the handle removed.

Fig. 4 is a cross-sectional view on a larger scale, the view being taken substantially on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2 but showing the latch plate in bar releasing position, and

Fig. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view of a fragment of the handle, the view being taken substantially on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4, but showing the bar locked to the handle.

The tool of this invention comprises two main parts, a solid bar II] and a handle II which may be mounted in either of two operative positions on the bar. Bar I is of non-circular cross-section, preferably square as illustrated herein. Its ends are forged or otherwise finished as screw driver blades I2 and I3 of different shape or size, the width of blade I2 being less than the maximum cross-sectional dimension of the bar and the width of blade I3 in the illustrated case being greater than the maximum width of the bar proper. While I prefer to form both ends of the bar as screw driver blades it will be apparent that one or both ends might be otherwise finished if desired.

The handle II which may be of wood, plastic or other suitable material has a square hole or passage I4 extending axially throughout the length of the handle, but if desired one end of the hole may be enlarged as shown at I in Fig. 5 in order to accommodate a wide blade such as I3. The relative cross-sectional dimen- It has to do with sions of the bar In and of the hole I4 are such that the bar may be slid lengthwise freely in I the handle but such that there will be substantially no looseness or lost motion when torque is applied to the handle.

Spaced from the extremities of bar III a distance slightly less than half the length of handle II, notches I6 are cut out of opposed corners of the bar. These notches are engaged by a releasable latch or look that is mounted in the handle midway between its ends. This locking means should be held normally in locking position, as by spring means, and when in locking position it should not project substantially beyond the principal contours of the handle. In other words it should not mar the smoothness of the handle.

I have found that the illustrated form of latch is quite satisfactory for the purpose. This latch embodies a metal plate H which is disposed in a plane at right angles to the axis of bar III and is slidable transversely of the handle. At one end it has a cylindrical post I8 which is either integral with the plate or welded thereto. For the mounting of this plate a hole I9 is bored transversely into the handle nearly all the way across it. From the opposite side a smaller hole 26 is bored to meet hole I9. At the junction of these holes a shoulder 2| is formed. Narrow grooves 22 are machined to extend from hole I9 outwardly at diametrically opposite points. A coil spring 23 is inserted into the hole I9. Then plate I? is slid into position with its edges in the grooves 22 and its post I8 extending outwardly through the hole 20. The open end of hole I9 is counterbored slightly, and after the plate is inserted a metal plug 24 is forced into the counterbore to permanently close this end of the hole I9 and grooves 22. The side of the handle opposite plug 24 may have a fiat 25 machined therein with rounded or beveled edges 26. A button 27 which in normal position is adapted to lie substantially flush with the body of the handle has a cylindrical hub extension which has a press fit upon post I3. Preferably a fiber bushing 28 is interposed between the post and the hub of the button in order to increase the friction between the two parts and make the connection more secure, as well as to insulate the button from the bar I0.

When the handle and the bar I0 are to be moved relatively to each other, the operator must grasp the button 21 and pull it outwardly. To facilitate this manipulation I form two concavities 29 in the handle into which a thumb and finger oi the operator may project. Plate IT has a slot cut therein which has a narrow portion defining side walls 30 that are spaced apart a distance somewhat greater than the distance across the bar between the two notches 16. This narrow portion of the slot is connected by means of diagonal walls 3| with a larger portion 32 which may be substantially semicircular and at its widest portion is adapted to clear the long cross-sectional dimension of the bar [0, as illustrated in Fig. 4.

When the operator wishes to change the handle II from a position at one end of bar II] to a position at the opposite end thereof he grasps the button 21 between a thumb and finger of one hand and pulls it outwardly against the action of spring 23 until it takes the position of Fig. 4, when the bar may be moved in the handle to disengage the notches I6 at that end or the bar. The operator may then release his hold upon the button z'l and slide the handle along the bar, or the bar in the handle, until the plate l1 encounters the other pair or notches l6, whereupon the spring 23 forces the plate I! away from the shoulder 2! and into the notches, thereby locking the handle to the bar. The bar may be entirely removed from the handle and a difierent one put in place therein, but it will be apparent that the bar illustrated in the drawing must be removed by drawing it to the right as viewed in the drawing since the blade 13 is too wide to enter the square hole I4.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a tool of the character described, a handle having an endwise passage therethrough of noncircular cross-section, a tool bar of similar cross-section slidable within said passage, each end of said bar having a pair of opposed notches therein spaced from the extremity of the bar a distance less than half the length of the handle, a latch plate normal to said bar mounted in the middle of the handle for movement transversely thereof, said plate having a slot therein with a wide portion adapted to clear the bar and a narrow portion adapted to enter the opposed notches for preventing longitudinal movement of the bar, a button attached to said plate, said handle having a recess therein adapted to receive said button and a pair of concavities merging with said recess into which an operators thumb and finger may be projected for engagement with the. button, and spring means tending to hold said plate with the narrow portion of the slot in engagement with said notches and to hold said button in said recess.

2. A tool of the character described as defined in claim 1, wherein said passage and said bar are square in cross-section, and wherein said notches are formed in the diagonally opposed corners of the square bar.

ARTHUR F. ALEXANDER.

References Cited in the file or this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 196,354 Harris Oct. 23, 1877 1,269,413 Finniga'n June 11, 1918 2,223,422 Jones Dec. 3, 1940 2,263,293 Ewald NOV. 18, 1941 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 361,731 Germany a-.. Oct. 18, 1922 

